Package binding



April 1939- .1. M. MOGREGOR ET AL 2,154,762

PACKAGE BINDING Filed Jan. 16, 1956 Lfa 12W WIN Patented Apr. 18, 1939UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PACKAGE BINDING Application January 16,1936, Serial No. 59,399

3 Claims.

Our invention relates to package binding. More particularly it relatesto the tensioning about packages or groups of packages of encirclingloops of flexible, metallic binder, such as commonly used forreinforcement and protection and to tie together the packagesconstituting a group. It is especially useful when the packages arecornered, small and non-compressible.

Heretofore such binders have been tensioned by tools which require thepresence of some part, such as a supporting foot or gripper element,between the package and the encircling 100p. When packages or bundlesare non-compressible, and the reach of binder where the tension isapplied is relatively short (e. g. small packages), the presence of apart of the tensioning tool between the package and the binder duringthe tensioning operation results in looseness of the binder after thejoint has been made between overlapping ends of the loop and the toolhas been removed. This looseness is due to the fact that the length ofthe binder constituting the loop is, because of the interposedpart ofthe tensioning tool, longer than the periphery of the package and anincompressible package cannot expand to compensate for the excess lengthso as effectively to maintain sufficient tautness. Thus, although theloop may be as tight as it can be made, or as tight as it should be,before the tensioning tool is removed, it may be unserviceably looseafter the tool is removed.

One of the objects of our invention is to provide permanently tightloops of binder about incompressible packages,particularly packages ofsmall size.

Another object is to provide an improved method of tensioning binderslooped about packages or bundles, whereby expansion of the packages orbundles will not be required to maintain the binder tight.

Another object is to provide a method and a tool particularly adaptedfor the tight application of metallic strap about small incompressiblepackages.

A further object is to provide a tool which has no binder grippers, nosupporting feet, no bearings or other parts with relative movementbetween them, and no ratchets or other means for holding the tensionuntil the loop joints are made.

Another object is to provide a tool which is simple and inexpensive toproduce, light and'ruggod, and easily used.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a preferred form oftool for carrying out our invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, of the tool, partly in section and with theouter end of the handle broken away;

Fig. 3 shows one relation of package, binder and tool preparatory to thecommencement of the tensioning operation;

Fig. 4 shows the relation during a later stage of the tensioningoperation;

Fig. 5 shows another relation of package, binder and tool ready for thetensioning operation to begin;

Fig. 6 shows the relation during an advanced stage of the tensioningoperation;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a modification particularly adapted forpackages with rounded corners; and

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the modification.

In general, our invention contemplates the tensioning of a package orpackage-group binder by means of a Windlass which anchors one end of thebinder loop by clamping it (movably or immovable) against the side of apackage and upon 25 which the other end of the loop is wound, to take upthe slack, as the windlass is rolled or rocked upon the end of the loopit presses against the package.

The tool we prefer to employ will first be described. It includes aWindlass-head [0, which preferably is cylindrical in shape although itmay be only a partial or segment of a cylinder or have any otherappropriately curved or arcuate surface enabling it to be rolled, for atleast a part of a revolution, along a surface of the package. ThePeripheral surface of the Windlasshead is knurled or otherwise formed ortreated to insure a firm and non-slipping engagement with the binder.The head is provided with one or more invariable (i. e., non-closing)slotsthere preferably being two, H and I2, at right angles to each otherand each extending diametrically across the body of the head-to receiveone end of the binder and act, when the head 45 is rotated, to snub andhold the binder so that it may be wound upon the head. The Windlassheadis rigidly carried by a handle 13 extending therefrom at substantially aright angle to its axis.

The head and handle may be formed in any desired manner, although weprefer to forge the head and a shank [4 in one piece and then secure areduced end I5 of the shank in the end of a'tube It, which may be of alength'to give 5 the desired leverage for easy operation. The shank orthe tube extension of the handle, preferably the shank, because of thestrength of the steel forging, is reversely curved so as to provide asort of gooseneck effect to bring the major length of the handle,including the part gripped by the operator, into substantial alignmentwith the knurled portion of the head. This alignment of the grip portionof the handle, where the power is applied, and the head, where the workis done, lessens, if it does not effectively eliminate any tendency ofthe tool to tilt or skew in operation. Preferably the width of thehandle is slightly less than the diameter of head l4 so that, when thehandle lies over against the side of a package with the head overhangingthe corner, the head will depend somewhat below the corner, as shown inFig. 3. Thus, the tool employed is a bearingless, gripperless, gearless,screwless and ratchetless integral structure having no relativelymovable elements.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, one procedure for binding a package orpackage group according to our method and with our tool will beexplained,a single package A being chosen for the purpose ofillustration.

The binder 20, in the form of a flexible fiat strap or ribbon, is loopedabout the package in the usual way, one end-portion 2| lying unsecuredor freely upon the package and being superposed by the other end-portion22. Preferably the loop is drawn up by hand until it fits around thepackage without much excess slack. The reason is that the best resultsare attainable from the tool if, in taking .up all the slack to tensionthe binder to the desired degree, it will not be necessary to rotate theWindlass-head to such an extent that the part of the binder woundthereon becomes interposed between the head and that part of the binderthe head presses against the package. With the binder loop in thispreliminary condition, the tensioning tool may be laid upon the package,as shown in Fig. 3, with its handle lying flat upon the package and itshead overhanging and depending slightly below the corner thereof,whichwill bring its slot 2 slightly above the plane of the top surface of thepackage so that, when the upper binderend portion is inserted thereinthere will be a clearance space between it and the top of the package,as clearly indicated in Fig. 3.

The outer binder end portion 22 is now inserted laterally into head slotl2 and with the peripheral surface of the head in engagement with theother end-portion of the binder and, preferably pressed rather firmlyagainst the package corner, the handle is swung clockwise as shown bythe arrows. .This rotation of the tool causes the outer binderend-portion 22 to be snubbed as distinguished from clamped betweenmovable jaws at the upper edge corner of head slot l2 and thereby heldor anchored so that as rotation continues it will be wound upon theWindlass-head to take up the slack in the binder loop. At the same timethe head presses or clamps the inner or lower binder end-portion 25against the side of the package. The rotation of the tool head alsocauses it to roll or tend to roll down the side of the package upon theunderlying binder end-portion 2|. As the rotation continues, and thebinder becomes more and more taut against the package corner about whichthe overlying binder portion 22 first passes (e. g. the upper left-handcorner of Fig. 3), the reactive or reverse pull of that binder portionupon the tool draws the Windlass-head tighter and tighter against theother binder end-portion 2| lying along the opposite side of the packageand upon which the head is rolling. This pressure of the head upon theunderlying binder endportion causes the knurled surface thereof to gripthat binder portion and the upward pull thereon caused by the headsclockwise rotation tends to draw that binder portion toward the toolaround the first corner it passes (e. g. the lower right-hand corner ofthe package) and to feed the same beyond the Windlass-head between theupper binder end-portion and the package. During its rotation,therefore, the Windlass-head may serve, either simultaneously orsuccessively, both as a drum upon which one binder end-portion is woundto take up slack in the loop and as a pulling and feeding clamp for theother binder end-portion also to take up slack in the loop. Thus, thebinder may be tensioned by movements of the end-portions in oppositedirections, which take up the slack in both directions from the tool.The advantages of this two-way pull by the tool are that the tensionwill be more equally distributed throughout the binder loop and that thepower required to attain the desired degree of tension is less thanwould be the case if all the slack should be taken up by movement inonly one direction, necessitating the binder being drawn successivelyaround two or three or possibly even four of the package corners. In thetensioning operation therefore the corner of the package adjacent theWindlass-head forms the initial fulcrum about which the head and handlerotate and the package itself forms the abutment upon which the headrotates and against which it tightly clamps one of the binderend-portions. The opposing reactive pulls in the two binder end-portionsretain the tool in position tightly against the side of the package, theinner binder end-portion 2| upon which the Windlass rolls serving todistribute to the package the inward pressure exerted by theWindlass-head and to shield the package from the roughened surfacethereof; and the slack in the loop is taken up and tension is applied bypulls in opposite directions upon the two binder end-portions.

Inasmuch as the effectiveness of the grip between the windlass-head andthe underlying or inner binder end-portion 2| may be weakened ordestroyed should the head be turned far enough to cause the extremity22' of outer endportion 22 which extends beyond the Windlass to beforced in between the head and inner endportion 2|, it will ordinarilybe better procedure initially to take up by hand the slack in the binderloop to such an extent that the desired tension in the loop can beattained before the head has been rotated far enough to crowd theextremity 22 in between the head and inner end-portion 2|. In otherwords, particularly if the binder is rather smooth, it will normally bethe better practice to have the binder initially so taut that thedesired tension can be reached before the tool handle and Windlass-headare rotated much beyond the condition shown in Fig. 4. If the jointbetween the overlapping binder end-portions, to render the tensionedloop permanent about the package or package group, is to include asleeve of the so-called thread-on type (i. e., one which so completelyencircles the overlapping binder ends that it cannot be appliedlaterally), the sleeve should be threaded on to the binder before thetensioning tool is applied. If, however, the joint is to be made with asleeve that can be applied laterally to the binder (e. g., of theso-called "snap-on type), the sleeve need not be positioned until thedesired tension has been attained in the binder loop and the joint isabout to be made.

After the binder loop has been tensioned to the desired degree itsoverlapping ends are joined or sealed together in any desired orappropriate manner to make the loop permanent; the tensioning tool canthen be released and removed; and the free extremity of the upper binderend-portion cut or broken off at or near, but of course outside of, thejoint.

Figs. and 6 show initial and final positions, respectively, of the toolwhen, for any reason, it is deemed desirable or necessary that thetensioning operation start with the handle raised above the surface ofthe package. Fig. 5 shows the initial position with the handlesubstantially at right angles to the upper surface of the package beingbound and with head slot ll, instead of slot I2, holding the upperbinder end-portion. The rotation of the Windlass-head in a clockwisedirection results in the binder loop being tensioned about the packagein the manner previously described.

Fig. '7 illustrates the use of a tool attachment which may be employedwhen the package corner at which it is desired to apply the tool isrounded to such an extent that it would not effectively provide theinitial abutment for the Windlass-head. The attachment is in the form ofa yoke 25 having at one end a hook 26, for fitting over a cylindricalneck 21 in that part of the shank of the tool handle which is parallelto the .axis of the Windlass-head, and at the other end an adjustable.bracket 28, which can be brought against a corner of the package. Sucha yoke or anchor will prevent the reactive or reverse pull in the upperbinder end-portion from causing the head merely to wind itself alongthat binder portion as the handle is 1'0- tated.

Because of the ratio between the relatively long handle lever and theshort lever represented by the radius of the Windlass-head, the weightof the handle may ordinarily suffice to render the tool self-retaining.That is, the reverse or reactive pull of the tensioned binder upon theWindlass-head may be insufficient to rotate the tool in a directionopposite to that for imparting tension when the operator releases thehandle. However, should it be deemed desirable so to do, the handle maybe provided with an adjustable counterweight 29 which can be movedinwardly or outwardly to overbalance whatever difference there may bebetween the reactive I pull of the binder and the inertia of the tool isremoved after the joint is made. Thus, the permanent loop retains thetension or tautness about the package to which it was subjected by theoperation of the tool.

Because no part of the tool comes directly in contact with thepackage-the Windlass-head contacting and rotating upon one of thebinderend portions-the package is not marred or damaged by it; and theunderlying binder-end portion serves to distribute the pressure of thewindlass-head so that the tendency to localized crushing of the packageduring the tensioning operation is reduced.

The tool requires no lubrication, it may be made light in weight .andyet very rugged, it may be operated either right-hand or left-hand (i.e., by changing the package corner of application, rotated eitherclockwise or anti-clockwise) and, being free from relatively movingparts such as bearings, it will wear long.

Having thus illustrated and explained the nature and typical embodimentsof our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by United StatesLetters Patent is as follows:

1. A package-binder-strap tensioning tool comprising a cylindricalWindlass head having a roughened peripheral surface for engaging onlyand rolling upon the strap that encircles the package being bound andupon which the strap may be wound, said head having a periphericallyopening invariable slot for receiving and anchoring one end of thestrap, and a handle extending radially outward from one end of theWindlass head, the outer end of said handle being substantially in linewith the roughened surface of the Windlass head.

2. A package-binder-strap tensioning tool comprising a cylindricalWindlass head having a roughened peripheral surface for engaging onlyand rolling upon the strap that encircles the package being bound andupon which the strap may be wound, said head having a periphericallyopening invariable slot for receiving and anchoring one end of thebinder; and a handle extending radially outward from one end of theWindlass head, the outer grip end of said handle being substantially inline with the roughened surface of the windless and the diameter of theWindlass head being greater than the width of the handle in a directionperpendicular to the axis of the Windlass head.

3. A package-binder-strap tensioning tool, comprising .a Windlass headhaving a roughened a-rcuately shaped peripheral surface for engagingonly and rolling upon the strap that encircles the package being boundand upon which the strap may be wound, said head having a periphericallyopening invariable slot for receiving and by a snubbing action anchoringone end of the binder; and a handle extending radially outward from oneend of the Windlass head, the outer grip end of said handle beingsubstantially in line with the roughened surface of the Windlass head.

JOHN M. MCGREGOR. HOWARD C. PORTER.

